Damn Interesting
"A 20-year-old independent content website featuring high-quality research articles and an affiliated podcast, funded by reader donations and e-book offerings."
Marketing Channels
Podcast
Now the largest audience — primary audience shifted from desktop web to mobile readers to podcast listeners over time
Facebook (historical)
Was a major traffic driver until Facebook introduced 'boosting' and stopped showing posts to 90%+ of followers — creator refused to pay to boost
RSS feeds
Some audience reads via RSS (e.g., Feedly) which is largely uncounted in traffic analytics
Email subscribers
Mentioned as one of the indicators of audience size, though declining
Word of mouth / Hacker News
Long-time readers rediscover the site periodically and share it
Growth Levers
- Double down on the podcast as the primary growth channel since it is now the largest audience
- Explore e-book or offline content products beyond donation perks — a commenter suggested this
- Diversify distribution away from platform dependency (Facebook lesson) toward owned channels (email, RSS, podcast)
- Consider a Patreon or membership model to stabilize recurring revenue vs one-time donations
- Publish content on YouTube or short-form video to reach new audiences
- Leverage the 20-year content archive as an SEO asset — evergreen research articles should rank well
First Customer Strategy
Grew organically over 20 years through high-quality original research and writing. The audience shifted from desktop web to mobile to podcast listeners. Donations fund the operation, with e-book downloads as a perk for higher-tier donors. No advertising — the creator despises ads and refused to pay Facebook to 'boost' posts to existing followers.
Pricing Insight
Donation-based model with e-book access as a perk for higher donation thresholds. No advertising. The creator explicitly refused Facebook's pay-to-reach-your-own-followers model. Revenue is ~$700/mo profit but declining, creating a spiral of less time for content leading to fewer donors.
New Market Opportunities
- E-book and offline content products Suggested monetizing with e-books or other offline offerings — creator already does this as a donation perk but could expand
- Podcast-first audience growth Podcast listeners are now the largest audience — suggests leaning into podcast-native distribution and monetization
- RSS/independent web community Independent web is being 'strangled out' — there is a community of readers who value platform-independent content
Key Takeaways
- • Platform dependency is dangerous — Facebook's 'boosting' change overnight cut 90%+ of organic reach and triggered a revenue spiral
- • Audience mediums shift over time (desktop web -> mobile -> podcast) and creators must follow where their audience goes
- • Declining donations create a vicious cycle: less revenue -> more day-job hours -> less content -> fewer donors
- • A 20-year content archive is a durable asset — the site settled into an equilibrium where it 'pays for itself and remains rewarding'
- • Refusing advertising and strings-attached funding is a principled stance but limits revenue options — the creator acknowledges this trade-off openly
- • Independent content creators need diversified, owned distribution channels (email, RSS, podcast) rather than depending on any single platform
Sentiment Analysis
2 PosNotable Quotes
"I love your website. I stumble upon it again every other year and I'm always amazed by the quality of the content and writing. — nicbou"
"Platforms gave, and now they're taking away. At least what you have built will endure. — nicbou"
"The research and writing give me a sense of purpose that would be difficult to replace. — DamnInteresting"
"If you've recently dipped below, definitely still post. I personally would still want to see your comment. — DANmode"
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